THUNDER BAY – Patty Hajdu, MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North and minister of Indigenous services, hosted a roundtable discussion on winter roads Friday. In attendance with Hajdu were Nishnawbe Aski Nation and other First Nation leaders, to discuss the challenges posed by shortened winter roads seasons. Northern remote First Nations rely on ice roads across frozen waterways in winter to truck in fuel, construction supplies and other essential goods. But climate change has dramatically shortened the winter road season in recent years “and this places a huge stress on communities,” Hajdu said after the roundtable meeting. “One community talked about having approval for 20 modular units and only being able to get 13 through the winter roads. And of course, the cost of airlifting, this is just astronomical,” she told reporters at a news conference. “So I convened a winter roads conference and invited the province of Ontario, (which) has a huge responsibility in building those roads and working with communities. They unfortunately did not come to the conference, but it was still very productive nonetheless.” After the roundtable, Hajdu announced an additional $20 million in federal funding over four years for winter roads for northern First Nations in Ontario. This new funding supplements $7 million previously allocated to those communities to help address the challenges posed by shorter winter road seasons. Hajdu also announced the creation of “a Far North working committee with the province of Ontario and with communities that are represented by Nishnawbe Aski Nation and Matawa (First Nations)” to find short- and long-term solutions to First Nations’ winter roads challenges. “Canada is committed to provide the funding for this committee to be stood up, but also for our communities to have the capacity to participate if Ontario actually decides that they want to come to the committee and join.” Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 49 First Nations across northern Ontario, declared a “winter roads state of emergency” in early February this year as warm winter weather gave northern reserves little to no winter road season. “I agree with the minister that this is an all-hands-on-deck moment, and I appreciate her willingness to sit at the table with us and act on these serious issues,” NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said in a news release issued Friday. “In addition to this funding, I am encouraged by the minister’s commitment to develop a First Nations-led road agency. We look forward to beginning this work with full engagement with First Nations communities.” Fiddler also said he was “disappointed that provincial political leaders were not here today. We are still in a state of emergency. Many of the issues we are discussing require the province to be at the table.”
US stock indices edged higher on Tuesday in a truncated trading session ahead of Christmas, led by gains in Big Tech shares. At 09:42 am the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 32.38 points, or 0.08 per cent, to 42,939.33, the S&P 500 gained 21.68 points, or 0.36 per cent, to 5,995.75, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 116.55 points, or 0.59 per cent, to 19,881.43. US markets will close at 1 pm Eastern and stay closed Wednesday for Christmas. Market participants are hoping for a historic strong period called the "Santa Claus rally", a phenomenon in which markets rise on last five days of December and first two days of January. Among tech stocks, Broadcom and Nvidia advanced 1.3 per cent and 1.2 per cent, respectively. American Airlines stock fell 1.9 per cent after the carrier briefly grounded all its flights in the United States due to a technical issue. NeueHealth stock soared 64 per cent after the company said its largest shareholder New Enterprise Associates and a group of existing investors will take the firm private in a $1.3 billion deal. US Steel stock lost 0.5 per cent a day after a government panel failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of the nearly $15 billion proposed sale to Japan’s Nippon Steel. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.62 per cent from 4.59 per cent late on Monday.
Extra Space Storage Inc. stock underperforms Tuesday when compared to competitorsUnited Nations-backed talks for a global treaty to end plastic pollution wrapped up without an agreement in the early hours of Sunday December 1. A new round of talks is expected in mid-2025. Negotiations foundered over a cap on plastic production, restrictions on the use of certain chemicals in plastics and financial support to help developing countries switch to less polluting business models. These are staunchly opposed by the “like-minded group” of countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia and other major oil producers with powerful advocates for the petrochemical and chemical sectors, for whom plastic offers a rapidly growing market. While no deal was agreed in Busan, South Korea, where the talks took place, there was a feeling of renewed determination to create an ambitious and robust plastics treaty. In a memorable moment during the debate , a delegate from Rwanda spoke about the need for reductions in plastic production to confront mounting pollution, and was met with a standing ovation. Delegates stood up to applaud the Rwandan delegate’s remarks. Samuel Winton A delegate from Mexico read out a list of 95 countries that support a global phaseout of plastic products containing chemicals of concern to prolonged cheering by aligned delegations. The spirit of collaboration and multilateralism was tangible. Why plastic talks faltered During the late-night meeting, countries supportive of legal obligations to cut plastic pollution refused to accept a treaty limited to voluntary measures. The treaty must take action at each stage of a plastic item’s life cycle, they asserted. That includes reducing how much plastic is made . The like-minded group prioritised better waste management and recycling, avoiding the fact that excessive overproduction of plastic is set to overwhelm even the most advanced systems. Yet, observers also criticised the way in which Indigenous peoples were sidelined during the discussions, with no access to closed-door negotiations. The draft treaty text also failed to address gender equality and intergenerational equity. Towards the end of the night, delegates agreed that the fifth intergovernmental negotiation committee would reconvene sometime in 2025 to continue developing the text of a treaty to end plastic pollution. Critically, delegates agreed that the next round of talks will build on progress made in Busan and not return to older drafts. Many issues remain for consideration at the resumed negotiations in 2025. Here are three of the most significant. 1. Finance Developing countries in particular need money to adopt business models to transition away from reliance on polluting single-use plastics. However, there is little consensus on how this money should be paid. There is significant disagreement over whether to create a dedicated plastics fund, paid into by developed donor countries, or use existing mechanisms such as the Global Environment Facility . The draft treaty text mentions fees or taxes on plastic production, which many delegates felt was essential for raising enough money to implement the global treaty. This is a red line for many plastic producer countries that see any such measure as punitive and imposing an unreasonable cost on trade. 2. Plastic production The high-ambition coalition co-chaired by Rwanda and Norway considers measures to reduce plastic production essential, a position backed by considerable evidence. Read more: A global plastic treaty will only work if it caps production, modelling shows Panama submitted an ambitious proposal requiring countries to adopt a global target to reduce the production of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels once the treaty is agreed. However, targets for the reduction of plastic production are another red line for oil-rich countries. In the closing plenary, statements on behalf of the like-minded group, and the Arab group and others made it clear that they would not accept any such measures. Most plastic is made from fossil fuels. Noomcpk/Shutterstock 3. Safety Research shows that over 16,000 chemicals are used or present in plastics and, while safety information is lacking for over 10,000 of these, 4,200 are known to be of concern. Effectively regulating the use of chemicals in plastics must be a cornerstone of any plastics treaty. However, despite proposals and the support of over 100 member countries for global phaseouts of harmful chemicals, the draft treaty text only has passing reference to chemicals. Agreeing the text of a treaty to end plastic pollution is difficult. More time will not guarantee an ambitious agreement, but it does provide for further discussions to unlock consensus on this most critical of global challenges. Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like? Get our award-winning weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far. Steve Fletcher receives funding from the United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, World Economic Forum, Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Aquapak Ltd, Defra, and the Flotilla Foundation. He is a member of the United Nations International Resource Panel and is the NERC Agenda Setting Fellow for Plastic Pollution. Samuel Winton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin public worker and teachers unions scored a major legal victory Monday with a ruling that restores collective bargaining rights they lost under a 2011 state law that sparked weeks of protests and made the state the center of the national battle over union rights. That law, known as Act 10, effectively ended the ability of most public employees to bargain for wage increases and other issues, and forced them to pay more for health insurance and retirement benefits. Under the ruling by Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost, all public sector workers who lost their collective bargaining power would have it restored to what was in place prior to 2011. They would be treated the same as the police, firefighter and other public safety unions that were exempted under the law. Republicans vowed to immediately appeal the ruling, which ultimately is likely to go before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. That only amplifies the importance of the April election that will determine whether the court remains controlled 4-3 by liberal justices. Former Gov. Scott Walker, who proposed the law that catapulted him onto the national political stage, decried the ruling in a post on the social media platform X as “brazen political activism.” He said it makes the state Supreme Court election “that much more important.” Supporters of the law have said it provided local governments more control over workers and the powers they needed to cut costs. Repealing the law, which allowed schools and local governments to raise money through higher employee contributions for benefits, would bankrupt those entities, backers of Act 10 have argued. Democratic opponents argue that the law has hurt schools and other government agencies by taking away the ability of employees to collectively bargain for their pay and working conditions. Union leaders were overjoyed with the ruling, which affects tens of thousands of public employees. “We realize there may still be a fight ahead of us in the courts, but make no mistake, we’re ready to keep fighting until we all have a seat at the table again,” said Ben Gruber, a conservation warden and president of AFSCME Local 1215. The law was proposed by Walker and enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature in spite of massive protests that went on for weeks and drew as many as 100,000 people to the Capitol. The law has withstood numerous legal challenges over the years, but this was the first brought since the Wisconsin Supreme Court flipped to liberal control in 2023. The seven unions and three union leaders that brought the lawsuit argued that the law should be struck down because it creates unconstitutional exemptions for firefighters and other public safety workers. Attorneys for the Legislature and state agencies countered that the exemptions are legal, have already been upheld by other courts, and that the case should be dismissed. But Frost sided with the unions in July, saying the law violates equal protection guarantees in the Wisconsin Constitution by dividing public employees into “general” and “public safety” employees. He ruled that general employee unions, like those representing teachers, can not be treated differently from public safety unions that were exempt from the law. His ruling Monday delineated the dozens of specific provisions in the law that must be struck. Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he looked forward to appealing the ruling. “This lawsuit came more than a decade after Act 10 became law and after many courts rejected the same meritless legal challenges,” Vos said in a statement. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business lobbying organization, also decried the ruling. WMC President Kurt Bauer called Act 10 “a critical tool for policymakers and elected officials to balance budgets and find taxpayer savings.” The Legislature said in court filings that arguments made in the current case were rejected in 2014 by the state Supreme Court. The only change since that ruling is the makeup of Wisconsin Supreme Court, attorneys for the Legislature argued. The Act 10 law effectively ended collective bargaining for most public unions by allowing them to bargain solely over base wage increases no greater than inflation. It also disallowed the automatic withdrawal of union dues, required annual recertification votes for unions, and forced public workers to pay more for health insurance and retirement benefits. The law was the signature legislative achievement of Walker, who was targeted for a recall election he won. Walker used his fights with unions to mount an unsuccessful presidential run in 2016. Frost, the judge who issued Monday’s ruling, appeared to have signed the petition to recall Walker from office. None of the attorneys sought his removal from the case and he did not step down. Frost was appointed to the bench by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who signed the Walker recall petition. The law has also led to a dramatic decrease in union membership across the state. The nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum said in a 2022 analysis that since 2000, Wisconsin had the largest decline in the proportion of its workforce that is unionized. In 2015, the GOP-controlled Wisconsin Legislature approved a right-to-work law that limited the power of private-sector unions. Public sector unions that brought the lawsuit are the Abbotsford Education Association; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Locals 47 and 1215; the Beaver Dam Education Association; SEIU Wisconsin; the Teaching Assistants’ Association Local 3220 and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 695. More articles from the BDN
Hajdu and First Nations discuss ‘stress’ of winter roads
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is ‘one of one’ and Chargers’ next big testDuring the COP29 plenary session in Baku, country representatives gathered to tackle key negotiations, aiming to set a new target for annual climate finance. The talks are crucial, with global attention fixed on the outcome. Azerbaijan's COP29 President, Mukhtar Babayev, urged delegates to intensify their efforts, highlighting the global spotlight on their discussions. Babayev emphasized that time is limited and stressed the importance of bridging remaining differences. Brazil's Environment Minister, Marina Silva, conveyed through a translator the need for a minimally acceptable result, noting the urgent environmental challenges faced by societies worldwide. Silva called for renewed urgency and accountability to safeguard the planet. (With inputs from agencies.)
( MENAFN - Gulf Times) Qatar participated in the fourth annual meeting of the Arab Public Prosecutors Association, which was held in the city of Neom in Saudi Arabia. The Public Prosecution delegation at the meeting was headed by First Attorney-General and Director of the Judicial Inspection Department Ibrahim Abdullah al-Qubaisi, with the participation of a number of deputy attorney generals. The meeting discussed a number of prominent topics, most notably the nature and objectives of artificial intelligence as well as its effects on achieving prompt justice and the validity of artificial intelligence in investigation procedures. It also presented the experiences of the participating countries, with the Public Prosecution of Qatar reviewing its pioneering experience in artificial intelligence, including the project targeting reports of money laundering and human trafficking using artificial intelligence. This aims to enhance the Public Prosecution's ability to accurately and effectively identify reports containing suspicion of money laundering using advanced technologies, in addition to the Public Prosecution's smart assistant project which provides immediate and accurate legal advice to all those dealing with the Public Prosecution, contributes to reducing the time required to obtain legal information and answer inquiries, and provides integrated legal services that include legal texts and analyses in an interactive manner. It is noteworthy that Qatar's Public Prosecution seeks, through adopting artificial intelligence technologies, to improve legal procedures, raise work efficiency, and achieve justice in a sophisticated and effective manner, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. MENAFN18122024000067011011ID1109009830 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.None
Australia Judo Bank Composite PMI: 50.2 (November) vs 49.4
Private equity firm Sagewind Capital has acquired the majority ownership of Aechelon Technology, a provider of image generation software and real-time computer graphics systems for use in training programs. With this transaction announced Nov. 25, Aechelon becomes portfolio company number eight for Sagewind in the government technology market. No financial terms of the move were disclosed. Aechelon opened for business in 1998 to make image and data generation systems and databases for use in mission rehearsal, sensor exploitation, live-virtual-constructive training and command-and-control functions. The idea is to help enable full-flight aircraft simulators that military operators use to train pilots. San Francisco-headquartered Aechelon also touts out-the-window displays, sensor databases and integration services as among its core offerings. The company has recorded approximately $10.7 million in unclassified prime contract revenue over the trailing 12 months with substantially all of that from the Navy, according to USASpending.gov. Larger defense contractors also are included in Aechelon’s customer base.NO WORDS: Short-Term Spending Bill Would Fund State Department's Conservative Media Censorship Program